New Chicks - Ameraucanas, Noir Maran & Buff Orphingtons

[rod5591]

My first 15 hens are 2 years old going on 3, so today I bought 14 new chicks to keep the egg production high, even when my older girls egg laying start to decline. I got 4 Noir maran, 4 Buff Orphington and 6 Ameraucanas. I've never raise any on these breeds before, but they are what the local feed store had on hand.

Attached is a photo of the Ameraucanas. 5 are dark and one is light. Wondering why there is this color variation.

Anyone else have Ameraucanas, Noir marans or Buff Orphington? Any tips?

 

[chickenlittle21]

I have Americanas and they are wonderful chickens. They get muffs which are basically a short puffy beard. They lay green, blue, or brown eggs. I also have buff orphingtons. They lay brown eggs and are pretty friendly. They are wonderful egg layers and sometimes go broody. Also Americanas are a mix breed so the chicks being different colors are normal.

 

[aart]

Noir marans

Never heard of these.

Ameraucanas

Probably Easter Eggers, which are a cross(often mislabled as Ameraucana or Americana by hatcheries and farm stores), which is why they all look different.

Where did you get these chicks?

 

[Pyxis]

I agree, they're Easter Eggers, not ameraucanas. Looks like you got them at a feed store, so they must have come from a hatchery that sells their easter eggers under the name 'americana' or ameraucana when really they're not.

Noir marans appear to be a sex-linked hybrid that Mt. Healthy hatchery is selling. They're not actually marans, unless the hatchery is crossing, say, cuckoo marans and black copper marans to get the sex linking. Looks like in the past they were also calling them 'midnight majesty' marans.

I also wanted to let you know that the buff orpingtons are spelling and pronounced orpington, just the p, no h

 

[Mamatomany123]

I also agree on those being EEs. My tractor supply was selling them as Americanas but the guy boxing them for me let me know they were most likely mislabeled and were EE.

 

[Peppercorngal]

Yes, I agree, most likely Easter Eggers and not Ameraucanas. On the bright side EE's are lovely, friendly, and lay very nice blue to green and even pink eggs! I have Buff Orpingtons and they too are friendly and lay very well. I have one who gets broody a couple of times a year and she is a great mother! I have no marans, so no feedback can I provide about them. This is what a real ameraucana looks like when grown. Good luck with your babies, I'm sure you will be happy with them!

 

[rod5591]

Never heard of these.

Probably Easter Eggers, which are a cross(often mislabled as Ameraucana or Americana by hatcheries and farm stores), which is why they all look different.

Where did you get these chicks?

Putnam County Farmer’s Co-Op

 

[rod5591]

I agree, they're Easter Eggers, not ameraucanas. Looks like you got them at a feed store, so they must have come from a hatchery that sells their easter eggers under the name 'americana' or ameraucana when really they're not.

I thought about what you said, and it bothered me. Is selling a easter egger as an ameraucana an honest mistake, or is it deception, in your opinion? If deception--why?

 

[Pyxis]

I thought about what you said, and it bothered me. Is selling a easter egger as an ameraucana an honest mistake, or is it deception, in your opinion? If deception--why?

I would imagine that the people who own the hatchery probably know they're not really ameraucanas. I assume they just call them that because it's a better recognized breed than Easter Eggers? I couldn't really say why they do it. And it is the hatchery that does it - feed stores just label the chicks however the hatchery says to. Perhaps the hatchery finds they sell better labeled as Ameraucanas than as Easter Eggers.

 

[aart]

I thought about what you said, and it bothered me. Is selling a easter egger as an ameraucana an honest mistake, or is it deception, in your opinion? If deception--why?

Not asking me, but.... yes, it's a deception.
Ameraucana are guaranteed to lay blue eggs and pass 2 blue shell genes with breeding.
EE may lay blue but may only carry one blue shell gene.
Ameraucana are pure breeds, EE are crosses.